Until this week, western Washington has just about escape wildfire smoke. Few fires in British Columbia, much less acreage burned than regular over Washington, and California smoke has remained to our south.
Today
August 3, 2017
But that’s about to alter. And I’ve new instruments to indicate you the smoke which might be extremely revealing.
Let me start by exhibiting you the smoke forecasts from NOAA’s state-of-science smoke prediction system: HRRR smoke. These figures will present you the entire smoke within the vertical–not essentially on the floor.
5 PM at present, some smoke is beginning to transfer over NW Washington and a plume of denser smoke (purple colour) extends southeastward from close to Yakima.
The seen satellite tv for pc picture at the moment (now) reveals the smoke over the Strait of Juan de Fuca (orange arrow) and the japanese slopes of the Cascades (look carefully, the smoke is delicate)
By tomorrow morning at eight AM, a extra critical slug of California smoke has reached Washington State (pink colours), however as we’ll see, most of that will probably be aloft.
By 5 PM tomorrow, the smoke thickens additional over us and lowers to the close to the floor. Not the form of imports from California we desire. Moderate air high quality at finest.
NOAA has added some new graphics that present the 3D nature of the smoke, which actually may be very revealing. The figures beneath present you a north-south vertical cross part by means of the environment (the placement of the cross part is within the higher right–from the northern C to Vancouver BC). Seattle is round 700 on the x-axis.
5 PM at present, there may be some smoke aloft (18,000- 23,000 ft aloft) over northern Washington and plenty of smoke over northern CA at low ranges
By eight AM tomorrow (Friday), the CA smoke has moved northward into Washington, however stays aloft. Our air high quality will stay okay, however count on the sky to look hazy.
By 5 PM Friday, the smoke has lowered, aided by decrease environment mixing compelled by floor heating. Sort of like the blending that happens once you activate the warmth beneath your scorching cereal pot. Air high quality on the floor will decline over Puget Sound if that is true.
Finally, an east-west smoke cross part throughout Seattle at eight PM Friday clearly reveals low-level smoke over western Washington and dense smoke on the japanese facet of the Cascades the place there may be an energetic fireplace.
As climate fanatics you might be in all probability asking: why this surge of smoke tomorrow?
The reply is that there’s an higher circulation sample with a trough of low-pressure offshore and a ridge of excessive strain inland, a sample that produces enhances southerly (from the south) circulation, which pushes the CA smoke northward (see map for roughly 10,000 ft tomorrow at 5 AM).
The excellent news? The air high quality ought to enhance over the weekend because the trough strikes by means of and a standard sample is reestablished.
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My weblog on the KNKX firing and cancel tradition is discovered right here.
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